We Walk on Water
by The All Real Numbers Symbol
Summary: An invitation to accompany Steve on a mission with Clint and Natasha brings back memories for Bucky, and gives him a new place to look for his memories and a way to open up to the others. Sequel to Right Beside You.
1. Chapter 1

XXX

* * *

 **We Walk on Water (Don't Let Go)**

* * *

 **Summary** : A mission brings back memories and obstacles and maybe, just maybe, a path to understanding between two old friends. Sequel to Right Beside You.

 **Rating** : T

 **Genre** : Hurt/Comfort/Drama

 **Disclaimer** : If you recognize it, or think you recognize it, it's probably safe to assume I don't own it.

 **Notes** : All relevant notes are in the opening of _Right Beside You_ , so I shall defer to that story. I do want to expand on what I said about the spoilers for Agents of SHIELD: The spoilers are more prevalent here, but to put them in context, I don't actively watch _Agents_ and I am aware of this spoiler, so chances are it's more of a Late Arrival Spoiler.

* * *

 _"Don't you let go, When it gets harder, we get back, we get back up and do it again..."_

\- Shonlock, "We Walk on Water (Don't Let Go)"

* * *

"Are you sure?"

"Why not? He's been doing a lot better, even you admit it, but sooner or later you're going to run out of Star Trek episodes and you can't leave him to sit and read in your apartment all day either." Clint said. It was the end of a mission that he and Steve had been invited to return and help with, and Clint had suggested that the next time a similar mission came up, Bucky should accompany them.

Steve looked hesitant.

"Come on. Realistically, the worst thing that going to happen is that he's going to have some sort of freak out and you'll have to abort the mission to get him out of there. It's not like Natasha and I have never trained for what to do when the other people we work with have to evacuate."

"Alright." Steve agreed reluctantly. "I'll ask him."

"Good." Clint grinned. Then, as if the absolute destruction around him had just registered, he said, "Now you should go before the news cameras show up. This blowing up buildings and holding a shoot-out is a little more spy business than superhero business."

"I'm not sure I care what they think." Steve said, taking his mask off and looking around.

"I'm pretty sure I do, so get out of here. You'll hear from Natasha or myself when we need you. Now get going."

Steve gave a quick grin and then turned and walked away, leaving Clint and a few other former SHIELD agents who were on the HYDRA strike team milling around and standing in the rubble of a former HYDRA base.

In America.

Steve did not find that information very comforting. So when Clint had called him up, asking if he wanted to help fight his way through the base and destroy another branch of a group that was starting to resemble a hydra less and a cancer more, Steve had jumped at the opportunity.

But when the fight was over, and the base destroyed, there had been no more information on what had happened to Bucky during his time in HYDRA's hands, and now there was Clint's idea that next time, Bucky should come with them.

That was hard idea to accept. It wasn't that Steve thought that Bucky should be relegated to being a shut in; it was just that he wasn't sure how things would work if the other man went back into the field.

It wasn't even that Bucky couldn't handle himself in public, either. Steve had started inviting him along to run errands, and Bucky usually accepted the offer, albeit in silence. No one looked twice at him either. Natasha chalked it up to the fact that no one knew and fewer still believed the Winter Soldier had ever existed. Clint chalked it up to the fact the world was so weird now, no one would notice a man with a robot arm anyway.

"I mean, come on. I work with a guy who implanted himself with a bunch of neural transmitters so he could better control his robot suit from a distance." Clint had said. "And that was after the alien invasion and before an evil robot tried to take over the world. I don't know why someone with a robotic arm would really be a big deal."

Steve pondered that as he changed back to civilian clothes in the privacy of some bushes a few miles away from the former base. He emerged from the bushes a moment later with his suit tucked under his arm, and tucked it into the bag on his motorcycle before getting on the bike and starting it.

Maybe getting Bucky out and doing something again would be a good thing.

* * *

"Do you think it would be a good thing?" Steve asked.

Sam considered it. "Well, Bucky is an expertly trained covert spy and assassin. It might be good for him to get back in the field. Have you talked to him about it at all?"

Steve chewed his lip. "Not yet." He replied.

Training for the New Avengers had wound down to one day a week every two weeks, and though Steve still fully intended to drag Bucky to the VA hospital again the next morning, he had taken the opportunity after training to ask Sam what he thought about Clint's idea.

"The only way you'll ever know he can handle it is if you try and see." Sam said finally, shoving his wing suit into his backpack. He was back up to four days a week at the VA now that the initial training for the New Avengers was over, but for today he was just going home. "Does he tell you about what he dreams?"

"Sometimes." Steve said, sliding his leather jacket on. "But only the positive dreams. He never tells me when he dreams about HYDRA. It's like he wants to know if the positive dreams, like the ones about the missions we went on together, are real or not."

"It probably feels like a dream all the time." Sam suggested. "Since he spent so long with HYDRA. Other than that, how is he doing?"

"He went out yesterday while I was out with Natasha and Clint."

"Really?"

Steve nodded. "Yep. He went grocery shopping. Bought everything I had on the list, and put it all away."

"That's good." Sam said. "It's good that he's taking an initiative."

"Yeah. I guess." Steve gave a brief laugh. "I always buy flavored water, and usually I buy the grape, because I like that the best. He bought the peach, so I guess he likes that one better. I'm still bringing him in tomorrow."

"Why?" Sam asked, and Steve started. "He doesn't talk to me. From what you tell me, he talks to you a whole lot more." Steve just stared at him, so Sam went on. "He doesn't trust me. Even now, he doesn't trust me. I don't know, maybe he's naturally suspicious. I would be, after what he's been through. Maybe the idea of being back in a medical facility throws him off. I've told you about all the sessions we spend when he doesn't so much as move. He just sits in a chair and looks at anything except me." Except when Bucky decided to stare at Sam, which the other man found downright intimidating, and he was sure they both knew it.

"He trusts you a whole lot more, and you're the only one he talks to about the things he needs to talk about, like what he sees when he dreams. You can bring him in if you want. I won't stop you. But I think you're the one who will be able to help him the most." He finished, and swung his backpack over his shoulder. "Just think about it, okay?" Sam asked. "See you later."

"Yeah. See you." Steve watched him go, and wondered when life had gotten so complicated.

* * *

The only noise at the dinner table that night was the clink of silverware on dishes, as it usually was. Steve decided to break the silence.

"Do you want to keep going to the VA? Because I won't make you go if you don't want to."

Bucky paused, and then went back to eating. "It doesn't matter to me."

"Well, it matters to me. And if you're not comfortable doing it, you shouldn't go." Steve said.

Bucky shrugged. "Do what you want."

"I don't want to do what I want, I want to do what you want. I want to help you, and I don't know how to do that, which is why I thought Sam could help you. But if it's not helping I don't think you should do it." Steve told him.

There was no answer.

"Think about and let me know what you decide, alright?" Steve asked.

There was still no answer. Steve decided to take another approach, since he had heard form Clint that afternoon. "How would feel about getting back into the field?" At the question, Bucky looked up at him, so Steve continued. "Some old-fashioned, saving-the-world stuff."

"Like…old times?" Bucky questioned.

"Yeah." Steve gave a radiant grin. "Like old times."

"Alright."

* * *

"Good to see you again." Clint said the next evening when Stave and Bucky entered the makeshift SHIELD base. "We tracked another HYDRA base, an information center from the looks of it, but our intel says that they're using other machinery there, too, though we don't know what for yet."

Steve looked at him for a moment, then looked up at the balcony overhead. "And how long were you all planning on keeping me in the dark about the fact that you weren't dead."

"As long as needed." Coulson replied, leaning on the wooden railing that ran the length of the balcony. The warehouse had a half of a second floor that was used for the offices of the higher-ups. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. I couldn't find a good reason to tell you, and Fury didn't want me to, but he doesn't run the place anymore."

"Well, I'm glad you're not dead." Steve said.

"Will you still sign my trading cards for me? Fury replaced the ones he ruined." Coulson asked.

"Remind me when we get back and I will." The super soldier promised.

Coulson nodded. "I really appreciate that." He said, then noticed something. "Oh my gosh!" He was down the stairs faster than any of them had thought possible, and looking at Bucky look a schoolgirl who just spotted a member of her favorite boy band. "Sergeant Barnes! The second in command of the Howling Commandos! Best friend of Captain America! This is so amazing! I'd really like to shake your hand." He finished earnestly, his last statement directed fully at the Winter Soldier.

There was a very long pause while Coulson stood there waiting and Bucky just stared at him. The Steve coughed and interrupted.

"Uh, could you step back?" He suggested, noting that Coulson had lost the idea of personal space, and thinking Bucky wouldn't appreciate the sudden lapse. The Director took a step back.

"Maybe a little further back?" Steve suggested, and Coulson took two steps back.

Natasha showed up just then, steering the director away. "Sorry about this. Clint, show them the weapons, room, please," She said as she guided Coulson back up the stairs and into his office. "Phil, I thought I told you about this." She said as soon as the door was closed.

"No one told me about the fact that Sergeant Barnes was still alive. Why did I get left of this loop?" Coulson asked.

"We thought you had been informed. Remember when I told you the Winter Soldier was on our side now?"

"Sergeant Barnes is the Winter Soldier?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't anyone tell me?"

That Natasha realized, was probably a very important question. "Here's the thing. He doesn't remember much of his past. The reason Clint and I have been so careful when we interrogate the HYDRA agents we find is because Steve asked us to try and find out what HYDRA did to Barnes to make him this way."

Coulson looked a little dejected. "Oh, well, in that case I guess never mind."

"I'm sorry."

"You know, I hadn't been this excited since we found Captain America and it turned out he was alive. I interviewed all the Howling Commandos that were left before he was found, and I shook hands with them." Coulson continued. "Interviewed them about their time working with the Captain, too."

"Keep it in mind for the future." Natasha said. "Maybe he'll come around. But for now, don't ask about his past, don't ask for his autograph, don't ask him about his favorite memory of Captain America. Not yet, anyway."

When she left the office a moment later, she found Steve, Bucky, and Clint in the hallway. "I'm sorry about that." She said, more to Bucky than the others, "He's a really big fan of Captain America, and all of the Howling Commandos by extension. He'll be okay. I made him sit down and put his head between his knees."

"Okay. Now that that's out of the way, let me show you were we keep the weapons." Clint said, turning back towards the stairs. Steve and Natasha followed, but Bucky stood there, and after moment, headed towards Phil's office.

Steve noticed, and looked like he was about to head after the Winter Soldier, but Clint steered him towards the stairs. "Let it be." He said quietly. "Phil can handle himself."

* * *

Phil was digging though a filing cabinet behind his desk when the door opened. "May, do you have the files on those agents out of the DEA?" He asked, before he swiveled the chair around and saw who was standing there.

"How can I help you?" He asked Bucky. The soldier walked over to the desk, and held out his hand.

"Oh wow! This is such a huge honor!" Phil gushed as he jumped to his feet and shook Bucky's hand vigorously. "I've met all the Howling Commados now. This is really such a huge honor. I…I don't know what to say."

"You met the others?" Bucky asked.

"Yes! I," He paused and got quieter as he remembered what Natasha had said. "I interviewed everyone of them."

"I'd like a copy of those interviews." Bucky said quietly.

"Absolutely." Phil said, releasing Bucky' hand and sitting down behind his desk. There was a flurry of rapid typing, and then Phil slid a drawer open and pulled out a bank flash drive, which he stuck into the computer. He typed in a couple of commands and a moment later pulled the flash drive back out. "That's everything I have." He said as he handed it to Bucky, who tucked it away.

Phil got back to his feet. "Let me show you where the others have gone." He led the way out of the room, down the stairs, and around the corner away from the door.

"I'm really sorry. If I had known you were coming we would have been better prepared. If you know what weapons you prefer we can find them for you." Phil paused and looked Bucky over. "Do you have a preference for what you wear in battle? I'll get to work putting something together for you next time, but for now we may have to make due."

Bucky pondered whether or not to say anything. No one apologized to him for anything; if things went wrong he was expected to deal with it and finish the mission anyway. But he said nothing and followed Phil into a steel-lined room with shelves of weapons.

In the end, the clothing Bucky ended up with didn't look that different from what HYDRA had given him, though plenty of the straps across the front of the shirt were missing. Then there was the problem of finding clothing that was sleeveless on the left arm.

"See, this is what I could have prepared for if I had known!" Phil had exclaimed upon discovery. Then he had turned to Clint. "Can we do anything about this?"

Clint had nodded with the look of a long-suffering man who had seen everything and learned to deal with it all. "I'll get the scissors." He promised.

But in the end, they were all dressed for combat and armed with as many or as few weapons as they chose, and headed to the Quinjet.

"All we want is the computer information." Phil had said before they left. "Don't worry about saving anything else. We're not going to try and reintegrate these people."

* * *

[ **A/N:]** So initially, this was supposed to be a Oneshot. Then it was supposed to be a three- parter, then I realized that the story was still growing so I gave up and decided we were just going to have a chapter fic. And I guess the Breather Episode Oneshot _Neighbors_ does get promoted to third in the series now...just as soon as the complete tag is on this one.

I don't usually write long stories, so I don't know what to say other than I hope my muse holds out. And I don't like my summary so maybe I'll come up with something better. Again, I make no promises.

Feedback is appreciated so please leave some feedback and let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

XXX

* * *

 **We Walk on Water (Don't Let Go)**

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

They landed the jet a good distance away from the base, and walked to it. The place was surrounded by a forest, it was dark, and there was no moon, but none of them had trouble finding their way.

"How are we going to do this?" Steve asked a few minutes into the walk. Sometimes SHIELD had detailed plans for stopping HYDRA, other times they didn't.

"If we can get in without being seen, we'll do it by stealth." Natasha said. "If not, we'll have to fight."

As they drew closer, the outside lights on the building illuminated part of their way, but one of the lights glinted off Steve's shield, and alerted one of the guards, who opened fire.

The four of them scattered for cover. Natasha reached for her gun, but before she could grab it, and answering shot rang out and the man who was shooting at them fell.

"Nice shot." Steve said quietly to Bucky, who nodded.

"Thanks." He replied, still holding his gun.

" _We've got company."_ Clint warned over their earpieces. From his vantage point he had seen a group of guards headed in their direction. " _Forget getting in without getting seen. We'd better get in without getting shot, and before they move or destroy anything we need."_

" _Alright."_ Steve replied. _"Let's go."_ He looked at Bucky. "Cover us?"

"Yes." The Winter Soldier replied, and Steve gave a nod before getting to his feet.

" _Widow! Hawkeye_!" When the three of them burst out of the undergrowth, the guards opened fire. Steve took the lead and blocked the brunt of it with his shield as Bucky began sniping the guards.

Clint armed his arrowhead with an explosive tip and fired it at their attackers. The ensuing explosion was enough distraction for the three of them to reach the door. Natasha yanked on it. To her deep non-surprise, it was locked. "Cap, you're up!" She said, and ducked around the other side of the door frame. There was little gunfire left to take cover from, though. Clint's arrow had been enough distraction and Bucky was quickly taking out the guards who were left.

Steve slammed his shield into the lock and it broke. " _Bucky! Clint_!" he called, as Natasha hurried in front of him into the building, taking out the guards inside.

Clint had been helping snipe the guards. Now he turned to look at Bucky. " _You coming?"_ He asked.

" _ **Go**_." The Winter Soldier replied, accidentally slipping into Russian, but Clint had picked up enough of the language from Natasha to know what he meant. The archer ran for the door as Bucky held off the remaining guards. When he reached the door frame and had sufficient cover, Clint pulled his bow back out, and put down enough fire to let Bucky reach the door as well, and they entered the building together.

Inside, Natasha and Steve were busily working their way through the next round of guards, and with the combined assistance of the two sharp shooters, cleared the room.

"Did they know that we were coming?" Steve asked. "There are more guards here than I expected."

"HYDRA knows we're hunting them down." Clint replied, retrieving what arrows he could and putting them back into his quiver so he could attach new heads and reuse them. "I wouldn't be surprised if they increased the guards for that reason alone."

"There must be something here that they really want to protect." Natasha said.

"We've got to get that information and get out of here. The hallway on the other side of this door splits. Let's split up. Natasha, you and Clint take the North. Bucky and I will take the South. We'll stay in touch and radio the other party when we find something."

"Are you really going to put both super soldiers on the same team?" Clint asked. "If there are any more doors ahead that need opening, it might be better to split us up a little differently."

Steve looked uncomfortable, and then Natasha spoke. "Come on Steve. We're going North."

"See you on the other side." Clint said.

 **~xXx~**

There were only a few guards in the hall that Clint and Bucky took, and those were easily dealt with.

Until they came to the computer room at the end of the hall. There were more guards there, and the pair ended up being pinned down on the other side of the door.

Before they were pinned down, Clint managed to get off one arrow into the computer, just like he had on the Helicarrier so long ago. But there was no way to retrieve it now that they were pinned down.

Bucky debated using one of his grenades, but there was a limited space within which it could be detonated without damaging the computer. He looked at Clint contemplatively.

"Do you have another one of those exploding arrows?"

"Yes." Clint replied, pushing a couple of buttons on his bow to key the arrowhead he needed. "Cover me."

Bucky nodded, and loaded another clip into his gun before opening fire on the HYDRA agents below.

Clint used the opportunity to duck into the room and fire off the arrow before running for cover behind one of the rows of servers. A moment later the arrow exploded.

In the ensuing silence, Clint raced out to the computer, and pulled out the memory drive he'd managed to land in the computer earlier. But the explosion hadn't stopped all of the HYDRA agents, and no sooner had Clint pulled the drive out then a punch to the back of the head sent him crashing into the computer. He rolled out of the way of the next punch, and got back to his feet as quickly as he could. Another HYDRA agent grabbed him from behind, and held him in place for the other agent, who drew back a fist, only to find it grabbed from behind and have a metal fist planted on his own face as Bucky showed up, a trail of beaten HYDRA agents behind him.

Clint used the distraction to swing his head back and connect it with the other agent's face. Surprised by the attack, the man loosened his grip enough for Clint to get free and flip the other man over his shoulder and onto the floor. He grabbed the fallen drive and tucked it away before turning to Bucky. "Thanks."

The other man just nodded.

"Let's get Steve and Tasha and get out of here." Clint said. He pressed a hand to his ear. _"Natasha, we've got the files."_

There was silence.

" _Natasha_?" Clint repeated. " _Steve_?"

" _Clint…found…HYDRA…base…"_ A broken, garbled message in Natasha's voice came back to them.

" _Natasha? Where are you_?" Clint asked.

" _Base…tics…send…"_

" _Natasha_?!"

"Some thing's interfering with our communications." Bucky told him.

"We've got to get over there and find them." Clint said.

But before he or Bucky could take so much as a step, the wall behind them seemed to explode, and both were forced to duck out of the way.

Steve was in the middle room, and starting to uncurl himself from his shield, which he had landed on. Something had tossed him through the wall.

Natasha came through the wall behind Steve a moment later. She came with much less force; she had jumped through, not been thrown. "Hawkeye, Winter, we know what else HYRDA is doing here." She gasped. Then she got up and ran, pushing Steve, who had finally gotten back to his feet, up and out of the way as a large robot came through the wall behind them.

Bucky was the first to react, reaching for one of the grenades he was carrying and tossing it at the robot. Not only did not-SHIELD have the small grenades HYDRA had preferred to arm him with, they had small ones that would stick to targets, and he appreciated the innovation. It stuck where it landed, almost in the center of the machine, and they took cover just as the robot exploded.

"I'm afraid to ask…" Clint said, glancing at Natasha and Steve.

"HYDRA's building battle robots here." Natasha said.

"It looks like some of Tony's stuff." Steve added.

"That doesn't mean much." Natasha replied. "Everyone either copies or steals his stuff sooner or later. Mostly they copy it."

"What do we do?" Bucky asked.

Steve looked back at where the wall used to be. "We can't leave yet. We've got to stop this. There's no telling what kind of harm HYDRA could do if they're able to finish mass-producing these things."

"Can we stop it on our own or do we need reinforcement?" Clint asked.

"We'd need to look and what's there." Steve replied.

The four of them moved quickly out into the other hallway, a path made easier now that there was no wall there. There were very few guards there now, the one that were there were taken out quickly by well-placed shots from Natasha or Bucky, since at the pace they were moving, Clint's bow was not going to be very useful.

The center of the building was open, and railing in the middle allowed them to look down and see the assembly line before.

"It's not moving." Clint noted. "I don't think they've made very many."

The others were looking down into the assembly line below when Bucky chanced to look up. "They aren't making many of them because they're building them bigger." He muttered, and the others looked up to see a robot twice the size of Tony's armor looming in front of them.

Steve threw his shield, but it bounced back without hurting the thing. Neither Natasha nor Bucky moved, both had known instantly that no bullets would work on this thing. It jumped forward, leaping the gap, and the four of them scattered.

Clint rolled out of the way on the robot, which landed in front of him, and pulled out an arrow as it rolled around to face him. He dropped to one knee and fired.

The arrow hit the machine and clung to it, releasing a burst of electricity that short-circuited it.

For a moment it looked like the battle was won. Then the machine started moving again, acting like it was slowly rebooting.

"Clint, how many explosive arrowheads do you have?" Natasha, who was doing a hasty mental inventory or her own gear, asked.

"Not enough." The archer replied, stepping back.

"This'll be just like Ultron." Steve grumbled. "I think I've seen this one before."

"How many grenades did you bring?" Natasha asked Bucky, but he wasn't listening to her.

"What is that noise?" The assassin frowned, holding on hand to the ear his earpiece was in.

The others followed suit, trying to place the sound, even as the robot behind them screeched and rumbled in reboot.

"It's…AC/DC," Clint figured it out, and sounded very confused as he said it.

"Tony." Natasha and Steve said simultaneously.

" _This is so mean of you to hold a party at a HYDRA base and not invite me. I think I'm owed some retribution for that whole 'blow me and Pepper up with the Insight Helicarriers,' too."_ Tony said over their communicators.

" _Don't you dare turn that music up in our ears any louder_." Natasha warned him.

Tony sighed. " _You take all my fun away. Oh, and when was someone going to tell me Phil was alive?"_

They were spared form answering that question as the doors behind them were blown open and Iron Man flew into the room, plowing into the robot and carrying it across the room.

" _Hey, I know this design."_ Tony had to use both hands and all the thrusters to rip off the chest plate of the robot, but once he did, he ripped out a handful of wires and the machine fell over.

"Sorry Tony, someone stole your stuff." Natasha said as he landed in front of them and flipped his faceplate up.

"How could they steal something I never built?" Tony asked.

"Aren't these your designs?" Steve asked.

"Oh they are definitely mine. But I never built any robots like this. I had the schematics all drawn up, but Rhodey didn't like 'em, so I never built any. I just put the blue prints away and built other things." Tony asked, looking at the four of them.

Clint and Natasha looked at each other, both thinking the same thing. Then Natasha spoke again. "Tony, who would have had access to those schematics?"

Tony thought for a moment. "Me, Pepper, Rhodey, JARVIS," He paused, and frowned. "Obadiah Stane." He finished, and sighed. "Looks like he had more than one reason to want to kill me."

"Who's Obadiah Stane?" Steve asked, not unkindly.

"Never mind. It isn't important." Tony said as he turned and walked over to the railing, looking down at the assembly line below. "Besides, he's dead anyway. He's not coming back to help HYDRA or anyone else." He furrowed his brow as he looked. "So who's running this place?"

"What do you mean?" Steve asked.

Tony turned and walked back towards them. "That system down there is all automated. Kind of like what I used when JARVIS built the first Iron Man suit and FRIDAY helped me upgrade this one."

"No one has to work the line?" Natasha asked.

"No one." Tony confirmed. "Someone else is giving the order to build these bots, and the automated system handles the rest."

"This just keeps getting better." Clint noted dryly.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** I hope the battle scenes are alright. I don't feel like I do well writing battle scenes, and guess what the next two chapters are going to involve? Yeah, battle scenes. ChildofGod, if you're reading this (because I don't have an email address or an account to respond to you with) the answer is yes.

I corrected what looked like a missing sentence in the last chapter. I apologize for that; I thought I had proofed it pretty carefully but I missed that. I saw a typo in RBY, too. I'll have to make a note about that so maybe I can correct it later.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed, and Favorited this story so far! I appreciate your support, and hope you will continue to support me going forward! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought!


	3. Chapter 3

XXX

* * *

 **We Walk on Water (Don't Let Go)**

 **Chapter 3**

* * *

[ **A/N** :] I've been in this fandom three weeks and a day now. I can't believe how much I've written for it. Thanks to everyone who has supported me so far, as it encourages me to keep going!

* * *

"Would Stane have had access to your automated system?" Steve asked.

"He had access to everything." Tony replied, his voice flat. "I'm gonna go down and take a look at the system," He said, then turned and walked straight into Bucky. Tony wound up having to take a step back, Bucky didn't even move.

"Nice job imitating a brick wall." Tony said glibly, patting Bucky on the shoulder. "Keep up the good work." Then he slid his faceplate down, turned on the thrusters on his suit and flew down into the chasm.

There was a moment of quiet, and the Steve spoke over the earpiece. " _Tony, who was Stane?"_

" _Didn't SHIELD brief you on that, Capsicle?"_

" _Sorry Tony. That wasn't in the file we gave him_." Natasha said.

" _I know SHIELD knew_." Tony sighed. " _Obadiah Stane was a friend of my father's who helped set up Stark Industries, and when my father died, he helped run Stark Industries. He ran it for a long time, actually. Eventually it came out that he was selling weapons behind my back to anyone who would buy them."_

"Weren't you paying attention?" Steve asked.

Tony turned on the torchlight in his suit and flashed it on the wall under their feet. He studied a diagram on the wall as he replied _. "No, Mr. Truth Justice and the American Way. At the time, all I cared about was making sure no one interfered with my booze budget or private R &D funds. Then I got kidnapped in Afghanistan by a bunch of terrorists who tortured me to try and get me to make them a missile. I built the first suit instead. Of course, by that time I was wearing an electromagnet in my chest to keep a bunch of shrapnel from killing me."_

Tony turned off the communicator and looked at more of the schematics on the wall. "This looks like a fully closed system. FRIDAY, are you getting this?"

"I am recording it, sir." She replied.

"Are you analyzing it?"

"I am. It does appear to be a fully closed system."

"Are you hacking it?"

"I am attempting to do so, but it will take some time. Another A.I is keeping me out."

"Alright. See what you can get."

" _Tony_?" Natasha asked.

" _Sorry, working out some problems down here. Where were we? Oh, well, to make a long story short, not only had Stane been selling Stark Industries weapons behind my back, he was the one who arranged to have me kidnapped and was trying to get me killed. He built a copy of the Iron Man armor and stole the Arc Reactor that I was using at the time to keep the shrapnel from killing me. He was defeated, but…yeah."_ Tony trailed off. _"But that's over now. Looks like he stole a bunch of my stuff first, though. I wonder if he sold it, or gave it to 'em."_

" _You getting anything on those robots_?" Clint asked.

" _The system is fully automated, and closed. FRIDAY's trying to get in, but something's keeping her out. She says it's another A.I."_

"It couldn't be…" Steve looked at Natasha, who shrugged.

Minor scuffling noises drifted up to where the others were waiting, then Tony flew back up out of the darkness. He landed and flipped his faceplate back up. "Someone definitely stole my stuff. I can't tell who's running it. FRIDAY, are you getting anywhere?"

"No, I am unable to access the controls. The other A.I is keeping me out."

"It's a different kind of closed system. It runs in a room behind locked doors. Things like raw metal and materials come in through different channels, and the finished product leaves out another door." Tony explained. "So it's like my system but with weird upgrades. I was gonna try and tear it up but I couldn't get in without blowing the floor up under everyone's feet."

"We've got to figure out who's running this." Steve said.

"Way ahead of you, Cap. FRIDAY, did you mange to trace the location of the A.I?" Tony asked.

"I have, sir. It appears to be housed in the center of this building."

Tony looked at the others. "Who wants to take a walk?"

The walk through the factory was taken in silence; the super soldiers and spies were listening for the sound of approaching footsteps, and Tony was scanning the rooms they passed through, looking for life.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm getting nothing." Tony said.

"How far out from the middle of this place are we?" Clint asked.

"According to the map I saw before we left, we're not far." Steve replied.

"We're not. In fact, what we are looking for should be right around this corner." Tony confirmed. The group came to the end of the hallway and found another looked door.

"Looks like you're up." Tony told Steve, who stepped forward with his shield and quickly broke the lock on the door.

Tony was the first on in the room, and he went straight for the computer in the center of it.

"This looks familiar." Steve said, as he looked around at the computer towers in the room. These weren't the old-fashioned towers from Fort Lehigh, these were modern, and fewer as a result. But Natasha was nodding with him.

"What have you got, Tony?" She asked, walking towards him.

"This is an advanced system." The man replied as the other four joined him. "I'm almost impressed." He was rapidly typing commands into the system, which appeared to be rejecting them. Tony was in the process of overriding the computer. "Whatever this A.I is it doesn't want me in. Let's see what HYDRA is hiding." He finished typing and hit enter. The towers behind them whirred to life. Then the screen in front of them lit up and came to life.

"Hello, ugly." Tony quipped as he noticed the grotesque face on the screen.

And then Steve and Natasha's fears were confirmed as the face took on a clearer visage and they found themselves looking at Armin Zola.

"So good to see you again, Captain Rogers, Agent Romanov. Stark, Anthony; Barton, Clint. And Codename: Winter Soldier." The face said with a smirk. "I admit I did not expect to see any of you again, but especially you, Sergeant Barnes."

Steve swung around to look and Bucky and realized that the other man was starting to hyperventilate. "Bucky, are you alright?" Steve asked quietly.

Clint took command at that moment, grabbing Steve and Bucky and turning them: Bucky so he faced away from the screen, and Steve so that he was standing in the way of the screen.

"Stay with us." The archer said quietly to Bucky.

Zola seemed amused by the reaction he'd drawn from Barnes; now he turned to Tony. "And you, Anthony. How amusing that the son comes to finish his father's work."

Tony's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?" He demanded.

A newspaper clipping appeared on the screen, the headline of the paper announcing the death of Howard and Maria. "Sometimes, people learn things they shouldn't. Then they become obstacles."

"How did you survive?" Natasha demanded.

"I could ask the same question of you, Agent Romanov." Zola noted. "As for me, you carried me out of Fort Lehigh. When I was plugged back into a computer at your new hideout, I was able to upload myself to the Internet. I came back here to make use of the facilities and the information we obtained from one Obadiah Stane."

Tony was still staring at the screen in front of him as more headlines began to pop up. "Obadiah Stane was very useful to us." Zola explained. "More than willing to sell Stark Industries innovations to us, as you have already seen, Anthony. We were very pleased to hear about the kill order he put out on you, since once Stark Industries was under his control we were guaranteed a pipeline of weapons to aid our cause. Sadly, you escaped, and built a new way to fight. We wanted Stane to give it to us, but he never did. You got in the way of that. It was very helpful of him to agree to cut the brake line of Howard Stark's car, though."

"Tony!" Natasha said sharply. She had been trying to get his attention by saying his name quietly but to no avail. The sharper tone seemed to snap Tony out of the trance he had gone into. Her sharp tone attracted the attention of the other three men as well.

Tony exhaled. "So, that's your great plan, huh?" He asked. Zola seemed confused. "Build an army of robots? Because let me tell you what I'm going to do now. Do you think you're the first freak to try and hide on the Internet? We've seen that before. And when we get out of here, I'm going to call a friend. His name is the Vision. He's really good about cleaning up online ends like you. In fact, FRIDAY- "

"I have already contacted the Vision and sent him a detailed message apprising him of the situation, sir. I have also marked the message as top priority."

"Thank you." Tony told her before he turned back to the screen. "The Vision is more than capable of wiping every trace of you off the Internet. So enjoy your electronic immortality while it lasts, because it's going to end very soon. And we are all of us walking out of here, every last one."

"Are you sure about that, Anthony?" Zola asked.

"Sir, I have detected incoming hostiles." FRIDAY warned.

"That system," Tony realized. "How did you modify that system to close it up like Fort Knox?"

"That is something you will never know." Zola taunted. "And you will not escape."

"Don't bet on it. By the way, this stuff you stole from me by proxy? You're not gonna keep it and you're to going to use it again. The new Stark Family Legacy for HYDRA is a missile on this place when we leave." Tony told him.

A device on Natasha's belt beeped, she pulled it up and looked at it. "We've got company coming. We need to get out of here!"

"Let's go." Steve said, tugging Bucky away.

"Wouldn't you like to know if Obadiah was a member of HYDRA?" Zola asked as Tony and Natasha turned away.

Tony turned back long enough to blast the computer with one of his repulsors. "No. I don't need to know that. It doesn't matter anymore." Then he took the air and followed Natasha. They were the last to leave.

"Stark you designed these things." Steve said. "Tell us how to stop them."

"If you can, get the chest plate open, you'll find a handful of wires right there in the front. Rip them all out." Tony said. "That'll shut 'em down hard and quick."

They had made it back to the room the machinery was in, but now they could all hear that things below them were moving.

"How much raw material was down there?" Steve asked Tony as they ran.

"There was no good way to tell. Based on the schematics of the system it can't hold that much raw material. You might get…I dunno, let me run the math."

"Quickly." Hawkeye urged.

"If they keep to the schematics they'll get maybe ten based on my estimates of raw material that must have already been stored in the system. If they were as large as the one I took out when I came in, you're looking at four or five tops." Tony decided.

At that moment four robots burst up into the upper level.

"Everyone, take cover!" Steve shouted as the machines began to fire.

Natasha was the first to get out from behind cover and take on one of the machines, but when she jumped at it, the robots moved back out of her way and resumed firing at her.

Tony swooped down and pulled her out of the way before circling to try and drop her on the machine. It kept moving out of the way, forcing him to fly after and catch her over and over again.

Steve was not going to stand by and allow his friends to be the only targets out there, and he was the next to emerge. He threw his shield and managed to hit one of the robots on the neck, knocking it to the side, but it didn't go down as he had hoped.

Only Clint and Bucky where nowhere to be seen.

* * *

[ **A/N:** ] I found the Winter Soldier comics at a library the other day, the original comics, so I checked them out and read them. I have to say, they were alright, but I like the movie better. I think the emotional gut punch from the Winter Soldier's identity is better in the movie because the back story in the movie makes Steve and Bucky closer, but that's just my two cents.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who has supported me so far, and please leave a review and let me know what you thought!


	4. Chapter 4

XXX

* * *

 **We Walk on Water (Don't Let Go)  
**

 **Chapter 4**

* * *

Taking cover had been instinctual when the firing started, but Bucky made no effort to join the fight and only listened half-heartedly to the snatches of conversation the others were using to keep informed of how everyone was doing.

HYDRA had never bothered to keep in such close communication with him. He went out, completed a mission, and was told before he left when and where to meet with his handlers for extraction.

And then there was the face on the screen, the one that looked so familiar in his darker dreams. He had panicked, and rather than be upset, the others had been worried. Steve he understood, because Steve worried about him a lot, but Clint, the archer, had not been angry with him for panicking.

It was…different.

A moment later the archer ducked behind the low stack of discarded metal crates that the Winter Soldier was currently taking refuge behind. He looked winded, as though he'd been ducking bullets the whole way.

"Good grief," he muttered as he sidled over towards Bucky and sat next to him. "Mind if I hide here? I'm a bit tired of being shot at at the moment." He said with a grin, them he noticed the distress in the Winter Soldier's eyes.

"Bucky." At the sound of the familiar nickname, the other man turned to face him.

"Are you okay?" Clint asked.

"That man, on the screen…I knew him." Bucky admitted quietly.

"I'm sure of that." Clint told him. "He's been hurting people for a long time. You and Tony probably happen to be at the top of his list. But it's alright. Our friend Vision is going to track that guy down and make sure he never hurts anyone again. Now, are you going to be okay? Because if you're not, I can get Steve over here to get you out of here, I can get you out of here. I can probably even convince Tony to get you out of here, if that's what you need. It's your call."

The concept of aborting a mission was such a ludicrous thought that he couldn't help but give a bitter laugh. "I don't abandon my missions." He said quietly, looking at the floor.

Except for that one.

" _You're my mission!"_

" _Then finish it…'cause I'm with you to the end of the line."_

"We're not HYDRA." Clint said, having guessed some of what Bucky was thinking. "We don't run people out until they crash. If you can't handle it, someone will make sure you get out. It's not worth it to us to watch you break down here and get hurt. But if you can handle it, we could sure use your help right about now."

There was silence other than the sounds of the fight. Over their earpieces, Steve swore, and Tony sing-songed, " _Language_!"

Steve groaned.

"We aren't going to tell you that you have to come help us. We're not going to make you come out and fight. It's your decision." Clint went on, before he turned and sat looking out at the wall behind them.

There was the sound of a collision, and over their heads Tony hit a wall. He fell to floor a few feet away with a muffled curse. The first word out of his mouth and into the communicator after that were, _"Don't say it."_

" _Are you gonna let it go?"_ Steve asked acerbically.

" _I was having fun,"_ Tony noted as he got back to his feet and took to the air.

" _I wasn't_." Steve said pointedly.

His memories were still sorely fragmented, but Bucky was sure that by now, someone would have hit him for this level of refusing to act. Instead Clint continued to sit there silently, studying the wall.

"Is this a joke?" He asked finally.

"What?" Clint seemed genuinely confused.

"Telling me I can walk away."

"No. It's not a joke. It's a decision I'm not going to make for you." Clint said. "You decide what you want. Really, I'm not supposed to be here, and neither is Tony. We're both technically retired."

There was the noise or an explosion, then Natasha's voice.

" _Tony! Steve! Somebody!"_

Clint started to get to his feet, but Bucky grabbed him and pulled him back down just as a rain of bullets cut through the air where he had been a moment ago.

"Thanks." Clint said breathlessly.

" _Hold on Agent Romanov, I'm coming._ " Tony replied. There came muffled sounds of metal on metal.

" _Tony, are you busy?"_ Steve asked tersely.

" _Uh, just a little. Can it wait?"_

" _I'd rather you didn't."_

" _O-kay…I'll be there as soon as I can."_

" _Hurry_."

Then Bucky spoke. "Cover me."

Clint nodded. "You got it." He said as he reached into his quiver. There wasn't much he could think of that could help, but he could distract the robots.

* * *

Steve had his shield between himself and the robot which was putting all its weight into crushing him. They were evenly matched at the moment, with Steve being able to push back against the weight on him using his own super human strength, but he didn't want to think about what he was going to do if one of the other robots showed up to assist the first.

Then he heard the sound of whirring mechanical gears, and knew it wasn't the robot. He moved to the side a little as Bucky showed up next to him, and released his hold on the shield as the other man drew back his robotic arm and grabbed the edge of the shield. The assassin punched the shield from behind, and the force of the blow was dispersed around the disc. It was enough to push the machine back, and Steve seized his weapon and threw it at the robot as hard as he could.

The shield lodged in the robot's neck, and the height was not so high that the two of them could not jump and reach it.

Bucky went first, using the shield as leverage to gain a hold of the robot before dropping the shield back to the ground, and using his robotic arm to rip open the chest plate. The machine responded by spinning it's torso around, building speed until Bucky couldn't help but be thrown off.

But the moment it stopped spinning, Steve was ready. He jumped and grabbed hold of the machine, and ripped out the handful of wires Tony had told them about. The robot shut down and collapsed to the ground.

Steve picked up his shield and slung it onto his back, and then walked over to where Bucky was lying. The other man was starting to get up when Steve got there and offered him a hand. "Thanks."

"Did you have that thing on the ropes, too?" Bucky asked as he took the proffered hand and let the other man help him back up. He didn't know what made him say it, but it seemed right; like it was something he would say.

Or had said. Or should say. Or something.

"Well," Steve grinned. "You can't let make you start running. They'll never let you stop."

Behind them, Clint had come out from hiding and was actively helping Natasha and Tony take down another robot. Steve looked at Bucky for a moment, then both of them went after one of the remaining machines.

When it opened fire on them, Bucky ducked behind Steve and let the other man take the lead, using his shield to protect them both. Then it stopped firing and began to retreat.

"Do you think it's sentient?" Steve called to Bucky, who shrugged.

"I'm not Tony."

"What do you think about how to stop it?"

"I think I should have brought the grenade launcher."

Steve grinned, and threw his shield again. It bounced off as before, and he caught it. The machine backhanded him, and sent him flying across to the other side of the chasm in the floor, tearing out part of the railing around it as he landed.

Bucky pulled out the smaller grenade he still had and stuck it to the larger one as the robot lifted into the air. He tossed it after the machine, which cut it's thrusters and dropped back into the chasm, leaving the explosive to arc overhead.

But Steve was back on his feet and running. He jumped and cleared the railing, before using his shield to smack the grenade down the chasm after the machine. He landed on the other side, and both he and Bucky moved away from the chasm as the grenade went off.

On the other side of the room, Tony and the two spies had finished taking down the other robot.

"Do you think we got him?" Steve asked as he and Bucky approached the railing. Steve peered down, but could see nothing in the gloom.

"Whatcha lookin' for, Cap?" Tony asked, landing behind them.

"I'm trying to see if we got the other robot." Steve replied.

"Hold on." Tony said as they were joined by Natasha and Clint. "I'll run a scan." There was a long moment, and then Tony said. "That's it. We got 'em all."

"There was a smaller one when we came in." Natasha told him. "Are they anymore like that?"

"I'm not picking up any other robotics." Tony said. "The small one may have just been a prototype. In any case, there are no more around here."

Then FRIDAY chimed in. "Sir, I have an incoming message from the Vision."

"Yeah now that the fight's over he calls," Tony grumbled as FRIDAY switched the display in his helmet. "Hold on guys, I have to take this."

"Hello?" Vision asked.

"So I take it you got the message then?" Tony asked. The others stood by silently, listening to the conversation.

"I did, and I have investigated the situation thoroughly. Armin Zola has been neutralized as a threat to safety of humankind." Vision informed them.

"Please tell me you're sure. Not that I doubt you, but I don't ever want that guy popping back up." Tony told him.

"You may rest assured that he will live on in history books only. His consciousness has been wiped from the Internet."

"Thank you. That's what we've been needing to hear." Tony said. "We'll be in touch."

"I look forward to it. Have a pleasant evening." Then the call ended.

"He doesn't know where we are, does he?" Clint asked. Tony shook his head.

The five of them made their way back out of the base, to the Quinjet.

"Where are you all going from here?" Tony asked, lounging on the chairs in the back of the jet, still in his armor.

"We left from Virginia." Steve told him, and checked the clock. Surely they had spent longer than that in the base, in the fight, in…everything. It was not as late as he had expected.

"We're in upstate New York. That's practically my backyard. Why don't you all come by the Tower for the night and you can fly out in the morning?" Tony offered.

"Sounds good to me." Clint said.

Natasha, who was co-piloting, nodded.

"What about you?" Tony asked, looking at Bucky.

"It doesn't matter." The assassin replied.

Tony looked at Steve. "Looks like it's your call, Capsicle."

"Why not?" Steve said.

"You can land the jet on the roof. I did some redesigning after, you know, everything."

"Got it." Steve said, flicking the controls in front of the pilot's chair. "Next stop, Avenger's Tower."

* * *

 **[A/N:]** So we have wrapped up the fight scenes and sort of unwrapped some of Bucky's issues. He's surprised that Clint didn't hit him, but on the other hand, he doesn't see Clint as someone he needs to answer too, so if Clint had hit him, Bucky would have attacked him. But unlike Piece, Hawkeye never even gave the idea a thought. I like how Clint was characterized in Age of Ultron, and I've brought a lot of that here. He's definitely the most stable member (or ex-member, as the case may be) of the Avengers.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and followed this story so far. I appreciate your support! Please review this chapter and let me know your thoughts.


	5. Chapter 5

XXX

* * *

 **We Walk on Water (Don't Let Go)  
**

 **Chapter 5**

* * *

"Home sweet home," Tony sighed as he pushed open the doors and entered the Tower. The Quinjet had been safely landed on the roof, and Tony had his armor stripped off by FRIDAY as he entered. "Where's everyone sleeping?"

"86." Clint answered.

"73." Natasha said, both of them rattling off the floor numbers of the rooms they had stayed in the last time they were here.

Steve looked at Bucky, who shrugged. "We'll take 65 again." Steve said.

"Alright, sounds good. Pepper's still out, she'll be back tomorrow. If you need something, just ask FRIDAY." Tony said. "Nice job group. See you in the morning."

The four of them stood there for a moment after Tony was gone, staring after him, then Natasha spoke. "Steve, you should go after him."

"Why me?" Steve asked.

"He found just found out exactly how and why his father died. You knew his father." She said, as though it were simple.

"What if he wants to be alone?" Steve asked.

"He's not going off by himself to be alone. He's going off to drink himself into a stupor." The spy announced. "So you should go after him and try and console him a little."

Steve shrugged, but headed off after the man. "FRIDAY, where is he going?" The super soldier asked.

"The lounge is on Floor 89, Captain Rogers. I presume that if Agent Romanov is correct, that is where Mr. Stark will be." FRIDAY responded.

"Are these the stairs?" Steve asked, pointing to a door on his left.

"They are." The A.I. confirmed, and Steve pushed open the door and vanished down the steps.

The other three walked quietly to the far end of the room, where the elevator was. Natasha pushed the button for it, and when they were inside, selected floor 73. Clint selected 54. "I'm getting something to eat."

Other than that, they rode down in silence. The spy told them goodnight when she stepped off on her floor – the elevator just opened to a wide living area, so there was nothing to be seen – and the two men rode on in silence.

Then Bucky spoke. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Clint said.

The assassin pulled out the USB drive he'd been given earlier that night, and held it out to Clint. "Do you know somewhere I can get something to open the files on this with?"

"FRIDAY, where can we get something to open the files on this drive?" Clint asked.

"Mr. Stark keeps several laptops and netbooks that are USB capable in his workshop, Mr. Barton. Several of them are available for use by his guests." FRIDAY replied.

"Can you take us there, please?" Clint asked.

"Of course, Mr. Barton." The A.I. replied smoothly, and the light on the button that read 65 on the elevator panel went off, and the one on the button that read 91 came on. The elevator shifted, and they began to ascend.

Moments later the elevator door opened, and they stepped out into the workshop.

"This is Floor 1 of the workshop." FRIDAY announced as they came into the room. "You will find the net books in the bottom right drawer of the worktable."

Clint pulled the drawer and pulled out one of the machines, which he handed to Bucky. "Headphones?" He asked FRIDAY.

"There are several new pairs in the top drawer." She replied.

Clint opened the drawer and found the packets of headphones. "Thank you." He told FRIDAY as he pulled out a set and handed it to Bucky.

"You are welcome, Mr. Barton."

The archer turned to the assassin. "If you need anything else, let FRIDAY know. I'm beat. I'm heading downstairs to get some food, then I'm going to bed."

Bucky nodded. "Thank you."

Clint nodded and headed back towards the elevator. A moment later he was gone.

"FRIDAY, where are the stairs?" Bucky asked after a moment.

"If you head straight on through the workshop, Sergeant Barnes, you will find them behind the third door on the left."

 **~xXx~**

When he was back in his room on the 65th floor, Bucky set the computer on the table in front of the couch in his room, turned on the computer and waited for it to boot up, turning the flash drive over in his hands as he waited.

As soon as the machine was up, before he had time to second-guess himself, he plugged the drive in and opened it. It opened to a series of files, each carefully labeled.

 _Carter, Margaret (Peggy)_

 _Dernier, Jacques_

 _Dugan, Corporal Timothy Aloysius Cadwaller (Dum Dum)_

 _Falsworth, James Montgomery_

 _Jones, Gabriel (Gabe)_

 _Morita, James (Jim)_

For a long moment, he looked at the screen, trying to figure out which file to start with, before he decided to start from the bottom and work his way up. The name Peggy Carter sounded familiar, in a way he couldn't place, but in a way that made him think that file was best left until the end.

He plugged the headphones into the machine, and settled down to listen.

" _Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I'm Phillip Coulson, a SHIELD agent, and I'm interested in hearing more about Captain America…"_

The first forty minutes of the interview contained enough to interest him: names and stories of places that felt like they should be familiar, though he couldn't place them. Phil's voice he remembered from meeting the man earlier that night; the voice of the other man sounded vaguely familiar, and he knew that he knew that voice, knew that Morita was a Howling Commando.

It was frustrating to feel that he knew this man but for all intents and purposes had to research him to fill in the gaps of memory in his own mind.

The counter bar at the bottom of the screen showed the interview was almost at end when Phil asked one more question: _"What do you think Captain America's greatest regret was?"_

There was a long pause, before Morita said. " _We went out to stop Armin Zola, some HYDRA bigwig who was responsible for a lot of suffering. He had to be stopped, and we had to intercept a train. It was the Captain, and Sergeant Barnes, and Jones who went to do it. Three of 'em went out. Two came back."_ The man explained matter-of-factly, and Bucky stiffened. _"When he came back, the Captain just walked past us, like he hadn't even seen us, and maybe he hadn't. Jones was escorting Zola, so the mission was a success in that regard. And then Dum Dum asked where the Sergeant was. All Jones said was "He's not coming back." And then we all knew what had happened. The Captain never said it, but we all knew he was torn up over that. Those two had been friends since before the Army. He never said anything, but you just knew, that what happened that day was probably the thing he had the biggest regrets over."_

Mercifully, the interview ended not long after that. After a longer bout of hesitation, Bucky finally selected the next folder up: Jones.

The interview ran similarly to the first. Coulson introduced himself, and asked several questions.

" _Tell me about the first time you met Captain America?…What's your best memory of him?...What do you think his greatest accomplishment was?"_ And then, at the end, that last question: _"What do you think his biggest regret was?"_

Jones was very quiet for a while, and then he spoke. _"The Captain's greatest regret was that he couldn't save Sergeant Barnes. I was with them on the train where Zola was captured, and I saw what happened. Rogers was reaching out for Barnes, but, he couldn't get there in time, and Barnes fell."_

Bucky grimaced at the retelling of his supposed death again, and tried to focus on what was being said.

Phil interrupted. " _Were you close to Sergeant Barnes?"_

" _Close as you can be with someone you've spent weeks locked in a cage with. But he was closer to Rogers then any of the rest of us were. Sometimes he drove me nuts, Barnes did. He was one of those people you meet sometimes who just have a knack for learning languages. It took him three weeks to learn on the field what it took me three months in college to learn."_

" _He was multilingual?_ " Phil interrupted.

" _Very much so by the time he died. I taught him German, I helped him learn French from Jacques, and he learned Russian from a Russian squad we worked with for a little while, and then when they left before I had much a grasp on the language, he wound up teaching me Russian, which I guess is only fair. He learned a smattering of Italian, too, but I never figured out where he picked it up from. POWs from an Italian troop, maybe."_ There was another pause, and then Jones went on.

" _Rogers took Barnes' death badly. He looked like a ghost walking back into the SSR after we captured Zola. I remember Dum Dum asked where Barnes was, and the Captain walked right by and didn't even hear him. I was the one who told them Barnes wasn't coming back."_

" _Zola said something when I brought him into the building; I forget now what it was. Something stupid, I'm sure. But it got the captain's attention. It was like, you know how sometimes the power goes out after a storm, and there's this sudden moment when it comes back on? That's what happened to the Captain. Zola made some dumb remark and Rogers turned to look at him, and it was like the power came back on and Rogers in that five seconds put together the fact that had this monster not been speeding around some railroad bend some thousand or more feet from the ground below, maybe none of that jumping onto a speeding train would have been necessary and maybe Barnes wouldn't have fallen. You could just see the moment on his face that when that realization hit."_

" _And then what happened_?" Phil pressed.

" _And then all of us and some SSR fellas who were there had to pull the Captain off Zola. I'm no coward; I marched at Selma, and worked in the Civil Rights movement, and before that I was a prisoner of war in a HYDRA camp. I saw men get disintegrated by HYDRA weapons. I'd seen the Captain upset before, I'd seen him angry before. But when he turned on Zola there was this …fury in his eyes. And I think if we hadn't intervened he'd have killed Zola right then and there, information be damned. And all of us together couldn't stop him anyway. Colonel Phillips came in and had to order Rogers to stop, which was when we were actually able to separate the two of them. I'd never seen the captain so angry before, and it scared me."_

 _"Were there any attempts made to recover Sergeant Barnes' body?"_

 _"Oh you can be sure there were. But with the snow, and no one knowing where exactly he'd fallen, we couldn't recover a trace."_

He was starting to hyperventilate again, though (like every time it happened) he didn't want to.

 _"All of us Commandos went back out with the Captain and for three days we combed that mountain. But we couldn't find him. Then Colonel Phillips called us all back to headquarters. He had the information on Johann Schmidt, and it was times for us to stop them once and for all._

" _Is there anything else you'd like to add to your account_?" Phil asked, moving on to the next question.

Bucky yanked the ear buds out of his ears and let them drop to the table as the counter on the computer ran down the last five minutes of the interview. He didn't want to hear anymore.

After the timer had run out, he still sat there, staring at a now-dead screen. Finally he stirred enough "FRIDAY, where's Steve?" He asked.

"Captain Rogers retired for the evening about an hour ago. Shall I wake him for you?" FRIDAY offered.

"No! No. If he's asleep don't wake him." Bucky said. "Where in this tower is he?"

"If I may," FRIDAY said, opening up a new window on the computer and pulling up a schematic on the screen. "Captain Rogers' room is on the other side of the floor." She marked the room.

"Where are the others?"

Two more markings appeared, showing two rooms on different floors and almost opposite sides of the tower. "Mr. Barton is on floor 86, Agent Romanov is on floor 73. Mr. Stark has not retired yet. He is still in the lounge." Another marking appeared, three floors above the one Clint was on.

Bucky glanced at the clock on corner of the computer screen. It read 1:08 a.m.

"What is Stark doing?" He asked.

"He is still drinking." FRIDAY said matter- of- factly.

For a long moment he said there, indecisive. On the one hand, he didn't want to sit here any longer. And he certainly didn't want Steve woken up though he knew Steve would come and stay as long as he was needed.

Finally he got up and headed for the door. Stark was no doubt drunk by now, but he was still company.

And he almost smiled at the thought that maybe Stark would be better company when he was drunk.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** FFN ate the border on my cover images. Meh. I kind of added some stuff to the plot of _The First Avenger_. In that movie, Phillips talks to Zola and makes a remark about how "Since the last man you cost us was Captain Roger's closest friend" Zola's safety if he was sent to America as a prisoner was in doubt, so I think it's plausible that Rogers would have been angry enough to try and attack Zola. And I don't think the Commandos would have done anything less then try and find Bucky's body after he fell. I place the scene with Steve and Peggy in the bombed-out bar as set after that search. Speaking of Peggy, the reason Bucky didn't start with her file is because he has a vague recollection that somehow she was important to Steve, and he's not sure about listening to someone that close to him, since he knew that they were becoming a couple while they were together and before Steve got frozen. Bucky's struggling with listening to the tapes because I think one of the most pressing questions he has is if Steve is his friend, then where was Steve after he fell? Well, now Bucky has an answer to that question.

This chapter was mostly setting up for the next one. In the next one, however, Tony weaponizes his ability to be irritating to make Bucky come out of his shell. Also, I'm thinking that this story is going to be eight chapters long, maybe. Depends how Chapter 8 goes.

By the way, to those of you who subscribed, I appreciate that because it tells me you are interested in my work, but reviews tell me why you are interested and what you like about the story, and I'd like to hear more feedback from you. Anyway, irregardless of that, thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

XXX

* * *

 **We Walk on Water (Don't Let Go)**

 **Chapter 6**

* * *

When he entered the lounge, Bucky saw Tony slumped over on the table, one hand still around a heavy cut glass about a quarter of the way full of liquor. It looked like the man was asleep, but the sound of footsteps made the engineer look up, though his gaze was not as focused as it might have been.

"Oh, hey, it's Tall Dark and Psycho."

"Don't call me that anymore." Bucky told him.

Tony squinted at him. "Hot damn, you do talk." Then he looked at his liquor glass. "That or I've been drinking too much."

"I can talk." The assassin informed him sourly.

"Well you should do it more." Tony said bluntly as he refilled his glass from the bottle of amber liquid. "Especially to Steve, and preferably before you finish giving him a breakdown." He took a long drink of the liquid.

Bucky looked confused, and asked. "What do you mean?"

But Tony had changed the subject. "There's an old story from the Civil War about how General Jackson got his nickname. They said he stood in a firefight like a stone wall. Stonewall sounds like a good nickname for you." And pleased with his decision, he took another sip of liquor.

"Stark, what are you talking about when you mean I'm giving Steve a breakdown?" Bucky demanded.

"A whole sentence. I'm impressed. I'm impressed because you don't talk much to anyone, ever, and least of all to the man who needs to hear from you the most." Tony said. "Steve's worried about you, and he's trying to guess his way to the right thing to do to help you. But you don't give him many clues. Would it kill you to just talk to the guy?"

Bucky looked away. "I don't want to remember what he wants me to remember. It hurts. And he wants to talk about it."

"Now we're getting somewhere." Tony said, nearly sloshing the liquor out of his glass as he gestured at the other man. But Bucky didn't hear him.

"I dream of falling. A lot."

Tony swore, and reached for one of the three remaining glasses in the center of the table. "You too? Sit down. Misery loves company." He poured a generous amount of liquor into the glass and slid it across the table as Bucky sat down across from him. "I hope you're not cheerful when you're drunk. If you get cheerful you have to leave. I mean, assuming you can get drunk, since Capsicle can't."

Bucky tucked that little tidbit of information away as Tony went on. "Tell me about your dream."

"Why?"

"Comparison. Tell yours first, and then I'll tell mine."

"There's nothing to tell, because I don't remember it. I remember falling, and pain, and I know my arm is gone, and all there is left is the cold." Bucky admitted, then he took a sip of his drink. It filled him with a strange warmth that brought back faint echoes of memory, of himself and the other men – the Howling Commandos – toasting a job well done.

Tony swore again. "I am not drunk enough to have this conversation." He downed the liquor left in his glass and refilled it. "Steve tell you about the battle of New York?"

"A little."

"I took a nuke through a wormhole. A nuclear weapon, that is. You might have missed out on weapons like that while HYDRA had you in their storage freezer."

Bucky glared at him, and Tony ignored it and went on.

"When it hit the ship, it took out all the aliens, but my suit wasn't designed for deep space, so after that I fell back through the wormhole. I was fine, Bruce caught before I hit the ground."

 _What if someone had caught me?_ Bucky wondered as images came back, unbidden, of Steve desperately reaching for him.

"But in my dreams, sometimes no one catches me. Or I take the missile through, and fall, and as I fall I see it explode, and nothing happens. The alien ship doesn't even have a scratch on it. And I keep falling and I watch everyone else get defeated. And I can't help them." Tony took a gulp of his liquor. "I'm getting better. I mean, the dreams aren't so bad anymore, and Pepper talks through the worst of them. It's still hard sometimes, though." For a moment, they sat in silence, and drank, then Tony spoke again.

"Did you know my father?"

"Probably. But I don't remember him. I know he designed some stuff for Steve, including the shield."

Tony snorted as Bucky shoved his empty glass across the table. "Even I knew that." He refilled the glass and sent it back. "I thought it was worth a try, anyway."

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry." Bucky added.

"Me too. You know, Dad was always out looking for Steve, all the time. Now I wonder if that's cause Dad wanted him back because he knew he needed help to fight HYDRA."

"What happened to Steve?"

"Didn't he tell you?" Tony asked. Bucky shook his head. Tony took another sip of his drink. "Got turned into a Capsicle. Downed a plane and got himself trapped in an iceberg for seventy years until an arctic expedition stumbled across him. You two are kind of alike that way, except HYDRA built you a freezer and Steve got flash-frozen."

"Would you stop talking about it like that?" Bucky demanded. "It wasn't very enjoyable."

"Don't feel bad, I do it to everyone." Tony retorted.

"I will shoot you." Bucky threatened. "I told you I still dream about being frozen, so I'm going ask you nicely to stop."

"PTSD?" Tony asked, setting his glass back down to refill it again.

"I think that's what it's called."

"Now that almost makes me feel bad."

"Why?" Bucky asked, acerbic. "I didn't know that you were capable of that type of emotion." His slid his empty glass back across, and Tony refilled it for him again.

"Uh, because I had an anxiety disorder. Still do actually, but like I said, it's getting better."

"Do you… go to therapy for it?"

"Nope." Tony replied. "This is my therapy." He sloshed the remaining liquid in the bottle around. "And I talk to Pepper about things. Especially when I can't sleep. So…yeah. Sorry about that freezer joke."

"I'll live." Bucky said grudgingly. Tony didn't notice.

"You go to therapy?"

"Yes."

"Hmm. Guess that puts you ahead of me, anyway."

For a few more minutes, they drank in silence, Tony refilling his glass two more times while Bucky nursed his third, and then the assassin spoke again. "Does Steve…does he have PTSD too?"

"Not that I've ever heard of. He might, but if he does he doesn't have it very badly." Tony told him.

"You're insane." Bucky said suddenly.

Tony nodded sagely, though a little longer than he should have. "People have told me this before."

"You let me come here and stay on nothing more than what Steve tells you. I don't know who I am. What if he's wrong? What are you going to do then?"

"Okay, self-doubt is never a good thing. First. Second, I trust Steve and he says he's known you forever. If Steve says you are James Barnes, then you are James Barnes. Next, I went by SHIELD and Coulson was still gushing about meeting you. Coulson is not wrong about these things either. He probably stares at Capsicle's – er, Steve's picture every day. He probably stares at pictures of the rest of you Commandos once a month. If Phil Coulson says you're James Barnes, then that is who you are. Also, I'm not worried about stopping you if you go crazy or something. I'm Iron Man. So stop worrying."

"Are there any other Commandos left?"

Tony dropped the empty liquor bottle down to the floor where it landed with a thud. "FRIDAY, look into that will you?"

"I have obtained records of a James Morita and Gabriel Jones, both of whom currently reside near San Jose, California." FRIDAY reported.

"Anyone else?" Tony asked as he opened a new bottle of alcohol and refilled his glass.

"Corporal Timothy Dugan is recently deceased. The remaining members sans Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes have been dead for several years now." FRIDAY replied.

"Maybe you'll have to ask those two if they recognize you." Tony said, as he took another sip of his next glass of liquor.

"Maybe I will." Then the conversation lapsed again as Bucky finished his drink and Tony finished his.

"You staying a superhero with us?" Tony asked finally.

"I guess."

Tony sipped his drink. "What are you thinking about calling yourself?"

"I don't know."

"You could keep 'Winter Soldier,' you know. It sounds appropriately superhero-ish."

Bucky raised an eyebrow. "Am I supposed to take advice from someone who calls himself 'Iron Man'?"

"Admit it, it works. Besides, I didn't name me, the media gave me that moniker."

The conversation stilted and lapsed again.

And Bucky spoke again. "By the way, when I first come here, you were supposed to do something about this star for me." He said, nodding at the star on his left shoulder.

Tony, who had begun to slump in his chair again, sat up. "That's right! Come to the workshop with me! I know just what to do."

An hour later, Bucky left Tony puttering around the lab and went back down to his room, where he changed and crawled into bed.

"FRIDAY?" He asked. He had never bothered to look around for, since no one else did. She was a computer that ran the house somehow, though now he was starting to wonder where exactly she was, and how she managed to speak to them. "Will you wake me up at 6?"

"Of course, Sergeant Barnes."

"Thank you." Then he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 _The late afternoon sun was shining brightly through the trees. The Howling Commandos were waiting to ambush a HYDRA convoy that was expected that evening, but for the moment, they were waiting._

 _Dernier was napping, dozing like a cat in the sun. Steve had gone off to do another reconnaissance of the area though Bucky had done that once and taken Steve with him the second time he did it. Falsworth and Dugan were a few feet away, quietly discussing something in low tones to keep from being overheard. Morita was off further in the bushes, and his muttered grumbling could be heard as he fiddled with the radio, trying to find clearer reception._

 _Bucky was cleaning his rifle, and Jones was reading a letter he'd received just before the Commandos had left the SSR base. "More good news from the German front?" Bucky asked._

 _Jones shook his head. "Well, Kinch says they sabotaged another German plot to win the war."_

 _Bucky snorted. "I'm glad the Germans are creative enough to try and win on all fronts."_

" _Wherever they get an opportunity, they take it." Jones agreed._

" _Same could be said for your friends." Bucky noted as he began to re-assemble the rifle, his deft fingers working automatically on the weapon._

" _I only know Kinchloe. I don't know any of the other fellows he's working with out of Stalag 13." Jones said as he folded the letter up and tucked it away. "It amazes they do so much while still in prison."_

 _Bucky nodded._

" _Have you told the captain what happened yet?" Jones asked._

 _The other man looked confused. "What do you mean, what happened?"_

" _You'd no sooner recovered from whatever illness you caught in that HYDRA cage than that nut Zola dragged you off to the isolation room, and you're the only one who's ever come back from there. What was Zola doing to you?" Jones asked._

" _Torture. Needles. The usual things." Bucky shrugged. "What does it matter? I'm fine."_

" _I think you should tell the Captain, anyway." Jones persisted._

" _He's got other things to worry about." Bucky replied. "I'm fine."_

 _Jones looked like he wanted to say more, but at that moment, Steve came back. "All clear. The only place of concern is that crevice a mile down from us. We'll have trouble if a HYDRA agent sets up in there."_

" _I could have told you that." Bucky said. "In fact, I think I did."_

 _Steve grinned, and slung a hand over the other man's shoulder. "Well then let's find a way to correct for that."_

 _Jones watched the two men walk off, and decided the matter wasn't worth pursuing._

* * *

[ **A/N:** ] TV Tropes refers to Tony as having PTSD. I'm not sure that's what he has, I mean it's not unbelievable after the nuke-through-wormhole incident, but PTSD isn't mentioned that I can recall in Iron Man 3. In the movie, though, Tony admits to Harley that he has an anxiety disorder, which is kinda vague but that's what I've gone with for this story. I definitely think Bucky can't have anything less than PTSD after everything he's been through at HYDRA's hands.

The "Kinch" that Jones references in the flashback is Sergeant Kinchloe from the TV show Hogan's Heroes, which is set during WWII. I think it's possible that these two could have met at some point before Jones was captured by HYDRA and Kinchloe was "captured" by the Nazis. I don't have a particular reason for using this show other than that I don't mind watching it and I like to toss in references to other media in my stories.

And I think that's about it for my notes. Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

XXX

* * *

 **We Walk on Water (Don't Let Go)**

 **Chapter 7**

* * *

When Bucky entered the kitchen at quarter til seven later that morning, he saw Tony was slumped over at the table, but this time with a glass of water in front of him instead of a liquor glass, and Clint was lounging on a loveseat that was too small for him. His legs hung over the side of the furniture.

Clint was also the first to notice him. "Good morning."

"Morning." Bucky replied, as he sat down opposite of Stark in a repeat from the night before.

Tony mumbled something unintelligible.

Steve entered the room a moment later, Natasha behind him. "Found it." She announced as they entered.

"Right where FRIDAY said it would be." Steve added as he set the bottle of aspirin down in front of Tony, then looked at Bucky. "Good morning."

"Good morning." He replied.

Tony groaned and reached for the bottle as Steve went back into the kitchen. "You know, usually I'd still be asleep by now, so this wouldn't be an issue."

"We let you sleep in until 6:30." Natasha noted.

"I was thinking of sleeping in until something a little closer to 10." Tony replied as he swallowed the aspirin dry. Natasha went around the corner into the kitchen, still visible in the gap between the island and the cupboards overhead, and reappeared a moment later with a cup of coffee, which she set in front of Tony.

"Drink up." She said.

Tony took a sip of the coffee, then set his face back on the table.

"Coffee's ready?" Clint asked.

"Yes." Steve told him.

"Good." Clint got his feet, and then noticed something. "So when did you get that done?" He asked, noticing the new design on the assassin's robotic arm.

"Last night."

"Did he do it?" Clint asked, nodding at Tony.

Bucky nodded, and Clint laughed. "Usually, in this day and age, people get tattoos after they get drunk, not get someone else drunk and then make the drunk give them a tattoo."

"Hey, I cured my palladium poisoning drunk," Tony protested, then sat up and pointed at Bucky. "Enough with sentences consisting of two words. I know you can talk, so you can't get away with that anymore."

"How would you know? You can't remember what happened last night." Bucky challenged.

"I remember enough. I don't talk to myself even if I do happen to be drunk when I'm doing the talking." Tony informed him.

Clint moved past them, angling towards the kitchen. "How much longer til breakfast?"

"Twenty minutes." Steve replied, studying the recipe on his tablet once more before he opened the oven door and slid the casserole inside.

"How'd you take up cooking anyway?" Natasha asked.

"Sam told me I needed a hobby."

"I thought you did sketches."

"I do. He thought more than one hobby would keep me busy."

Tony caught Bucky's eye and mouthed three words. _Talk to him_.

He hesitated. Tony pulled out his phone, typed something on it, and slid it across the table.

 _You can't tell me you're afraid of this._

Bucky slid the phone back with enough force that Tony had to use both hands to catch it, and stood up and went past him into the kitchen as Clint came out of it with a full cup of coffee.

In the kitchen, Steve was talking to Natasha. "Will you go keep an eye on Tony?"

"He's supposed to be sobering up."

"I know, but keep an eye on him anyway, alright? He can do what he wants after we leave, but drinking doesn't help and we might need him sober before we go."

"I heard that!" Tony called.

Natasha rolled her eyes and briefly glanced at Bucky, who had just entered the kitchen, before heading around the corner and into the dining room.

"Coffee?" Steve offered, looking at his friend.

"Sure. Do you…mind if we go somewhere and talk?"

Steve looked surprised, but he nodded. "Alright. Let's go upstairs."

Back at the table, Natasha watched the two men go. "Should we go after them?" She asked as she looked at Clint.

"Nope." Clint said as he sipped his coffee. "I know what you're thinking, but Steve can handle anything if it comes up, and it won't. Just let them be."

 **~xXx~**

The door to the next floor up opened into another lounge, comfortably and suitably furnished as every other floor in the building was. Tall, floor-to-ceiling windows gave views of the neighboring skyscrapers and the city. There was a diving wall in the middle of the room with a door in it, but neither man paid much attention to it. They knew exactly who was in the building and where they were, and no one else was getting in without bypassing Tony's security and FRIDAY's protocols.

"So, what's up?" Steve asked, looking like he always did: calm, patient, Steve, and Bucky struggled to put words in order and wondered why he was doing this.

" _Hot damn, you do talk..."_

" _I can talk."_

" _Well you should do it more, especially to Steve, and preferably before you finish giving him a breakdown..._ _Steve's worried about you, and he's trying to guess his way to the right thing to do to help you. But you don't give him many clues. Would it kill you to just talk to the guy?"_

"I'm sorry." He finally blurted out.

Steve looked confused. "For what?"

And that was the real question, wasn't it?

"For…everything. For trying to kill you, and your friends, and for …making you worry."

"Bucky, you don't owe me any apologies. I know why you did what you did. And I won't lie, I do worry, but I worried a lot more after the Helicarrier fight when you vanished." Steve told him.

"Tony said you worry about me." Bucky admitted as he sat down on the sofa in the room.

Steve frowned, and muttered something about never talking to Tony about his problems again.

"Who, you or me?" Bucky asked.

"Me. I'm never talking to that guy about my problems again!" And the vehemence and the look on Steve's face made Bucky grin, made him want to laugh, because he knew that look of indignation, had seen it a thousand times before, even though he couldn't remember any specific incidents.

Bucky's grin made Steve smile, and the super soldier went on. "Well, he is right. I do worry. I want to help you, but I don't know how. I talked to Tony and he had FRIDAY put some books and articles about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on my tablet for me. I've been asking Sam a lot of questions, too."

The grin faded and Bucky said, "Sometimes I don't think I want to remember. It hurts."

"I'm sorry."

"It isn't your fault."

The look on Steve's face said it was, that he should have known, should have done something to stop it, to save him before it came to this. Bucky knew that look was there, so he opted to look at the floor and not Steve's face.

How can it be his fault when he never knew it was happening?

Then Steve spoke again. "When we were…during the whole time of the battle with Ultron, Wanda, the Scarlet Witch, give us all delusions, and made us live our fears. This was before she became an Avenger. My fear was that the world had no place for me, and that I would be useless outside a fight. Maybe I understood that vision wrong. Maybe I'm not afraid of a world at peace. Maybe I'm afraid that after I failed the two people closest to me, I would fail everyone, and that's why I want to keep fighting. I couldn't go that the dance with Peggy, and I couldn't save you from HYDRA."

 _I was with them on the train where Zola was captured, and I saw what happened. Rogers was reaching out for Barnes, but, he couldn't get there in time, and Barnes fell."_

"It's still not your fault." Bucky said quietly.

There was a long moment of silence.

And then Steve sat beside him and spoke again. "I'm really glad you're alive. When you fell, I thought, well…and …there was nothing I could do. And later, after the Avengers, I thought once, just once, what if Tony had been there with his suit, or Thor with his hammer? But they weren't, and …I watched you fall. I'm just…really glad you're alive."

For a while after that, silence reigned. Then Steve noticed something. "When did you get that done?" He asked, noting that what had once been a red star on the other man's left shoulder now looked like Steve's shield.

"I had Tony do it last night."

"He's pretty good for someone who was half drunk when I left him."

"He was fully drunk when I talked to him. But he manages it well."

"Buck, don't tell him that. It'll just encourage him."

"Don't worry, I don't plan too.

The two men sat there in silence some more, then Bucky spoke again. "I don't mind talking to Sam. But I don't like the VA Hospital. I don't like being there."

Steve looked at the assassin. "So do you want to meet with Sam somewhere else? I'm sure that can be arranged."

"That's fine."

Steve nodded. "I'll call Sam when we get back."

There was silence a little longer, and Steve spoke. "We should probably get back to the kitchen. The casserole might be done, and I don't trust Tony to make sure it gets out of the oven."

"You don't think your friends can handle it."

Steve snorted. "Tony's hungover, Natasha's supposed to be watching him, and Clint's watching them both. I can't even imagine how that's going."

"You don't trust your friends?" Bucky asked as the pair headed back to the elevator.

"Sometimes, no."

 **~xXx~**

When they entered the kitchen, Clint was checking the casserole, while Natasha was pouring a cup of coffee. "For Tony." She said as she took it around the corner.

"I've had enough coffee Agent Romanov." Tony called.

"One cup is hardly enough."

Bucky shot Steve a knowing glance, to say that he had been right and the others were fine. The super soldier just shook his head. The assassin poured himself a cup of coffee and fixed it with cream and sugar before retreating to the table and leaving Steve to take over cooking duties again.

"The first time I came here you mentioned owning a jet." Bucky told Tony as he sat down across from the other man, again. "You also suggested I take a trip last night."

"I did?" Tony asked, then looked at the ceiling. "FRIDAY, did I suggest that?"

"Not in overt terms sir, however, you did make the recommendation." The A.I. reported.

Tony nodded, considering it. "Huh. Uh…ask Pepper. Her flight got moved up, she'll be back in two hours," Tony said, looking pleased as he looked at the message on his phone, "And if she doesn't need the jet for awhile, you can borrow it. But since I don't know when the last time you flew was or how up to date your pilot's license is, you have to take Steve with you."

"Where are we going?" Steve asked, coming in long enough to drop a pot holder on the table. Clint followed with a stack of breakfast plates and silverware.

"I want to go to California." Bucky announced.

Steve gave Tony a questioning look, which the other man ignored. "And you have to go with him, Spangles, because someone with a valid license is going to be at least co-piloting the jet. The house out there isn't quite done with reconstruction yet, otherwise I'd give you a key to the place and tell you to swing by."

"Taking a little long to construct your new workshop?" Natasha asked.

"Yeah, that and I thought I'd put in some extra bedrooms. You know, in case any of my friends came by to visit."

"I can fly a jet." Bucky told him.

"Oh yeah? When was the last time you did that?" Tony asked as Steve vanished back into the kitchen.

Bucky went very still, and stared at the other man.

"Okay fine I get it! No asking about the last time the Winter Soldier flew a jet. I'm not sober enough to care anyway!" Tony conceded and Bucky shifted ever so slightly.

Natasha looked appalled. Clint looked like he wanted to laugh and was doing a bad job of hiding it.

"What did I miss?" Steve asked, setting the casserole down on the table.

And that was when Clit did laugh. "Sit down, and we'll tell you." He said between chuckles.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** If I were naming chapters, I would have named this one after Good Night Gravity by Falling Up just because it's a more upbeat song that I think would fit the theme here. I don't know, I just feel like things will be better and Steve and Bucky clear the air, and here they do.

As an aside, I was in a local library the other day and had the opportunity to read the Original Sin comic compilation, and I did because it had Captain America in it. Turns out, Bucky's in it, too. It was kind of a cool Marvel crossover. Bucky was the first one to figure out who done it and he did a great job of explaining, which is to say, he didn't explain anything to anyone which is why they thought he killed Nick Fury no reason. The Fury plot was crazy, actually. It was a cool CSI-type story, except any time it involved Fury.

Anyway, thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed, and faved so far! Please review, and I'll see you next time!


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